The invention relates generally to the field of portable batting cages, i.e., batting cages having wheels and constructed so as to be movable. More particularly, the invention relates to such batting cages having a backstop, a top and two lateral wings where the wings are hingedly attached to the backstop so as to be laterally adjustable to various angles relative to the backstop. Even more particularly, the invention relates to such batting cages where the wings are of greater length than the backstop, requiring placement of wheels on the ends of the lateral wings and a wheeled extension or tongue attached to the backstop for stability.
Batting cages are used in practicing such sports as baseball or softball where a batter must strike a pitched ball. The batting cages are designed to restrict the flight of mis-hit or foul balls or to stop missed or bad pitches, and typically take the form of a planar backstop portion comprising a frame with a mesh or net positioned behind the batter and perpendicular to the line between the pitcher and the plate or target area, with lateral wings or sides also comprising a frame with mesh or net extending a short distance forward from each end of the backstop portion to enclose the batter laterally. The wings of most portable cages are fixed in position relative to the backstop, usually at a 90 degree angle. The batting cages are preferably provided with tops, usually either framed or unframed mesh or net, extending from the backstop and wings. Thus balls travelling in the rearward or sideward direction are trapped by the cage, allowing for easy retrieval and protecting others in the vicinity from being struck by errant balls. Since it is desirable to be able to locate and remove the cages easily, many are provided with wheels and are constructed of steel or aluminum tubing to allow them to be moved by a small tractor or several people. These wheels are generally relatively large and are usually positioned one on each lateral wing and one in the middle of the backstop portion on cages where the wings are fixed, or have two wheels attached to the backstop and a single wheel set forward on a short tongue for batting cages with hinged wings, with each wheel being mounted on a fixed axle and all wheels being aligned parallel with each other.
Known portable, wheeled batting cages having lateral, hinged wings constructed using lightweight tubing for the frame members are limited as to the length of the lateral wings because of inherent balancing problems, such that the known constructions all use hinged wings shorter than the width of the backstop portion. The shorter lateral wings capture fewer mis-hit balls because the area of unrestricted flight is determined by how far in front of the batter the wings extend, with shorter wings resulting in greater open areas for unrestricted flight. Extending the length of the lateral wings to decrease the open area of unrestricted flight and to increase the amount of protected area creates an unbalanced structure, interfering with the mobility of the device and requiring some sort of support at the free ends of the hinged wings. Fixed alignment wheels cannot be used on the hinged wings, since they will not remain aligned during transport.
It is an object of this invention to provide a portable, wheeled batting cage having a horizontal backstop, hinged lateral wings and a top, where the lateral wings are longer than the backstop to increase the amount of protection and decrease the area of unrestricted flight, and which is balanced to allow easy transport of the entire batting cage. It is a further object to provide such a batting cage where the extended lateral wings are effectively counter-balanced by an extended tongue structure forward of the backstop, and a still further object is to provide such a batting cage where the wheels are small and five in number, being pivotally attached to the batting cage preferably at the free end of each wing, at the attached end of each wing, and at the end of the extended tongue.